Ageing, Women and Poverty

1
Ageing, Women and Poverty

• Richard Leete
• UN Resident Coordinator for Malaysia
• UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia,
  Singapore and Brunei
• UNFPA Representative
• 18 December, 2005
• Kelantan

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Ageing, Women and Poverty
Global Population Ageing

• Population ageing is an inevitable consequence of
  the demographic transition the shift from
  higher to lower levels of mortality and
  especially lower levels of fertility
• Because transition taking place much faster in
  developing countries, population ageing is
  occurring more rapidly
• 2/3 of older persons live in developing countries
  some 400 million persons, although proportions
  higher in developed countries
• Women comprise greater proportion of older
  populations disparity increases with advancing
  age

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Ageing, Women and Poverty
Older Persons, Poverty and Development

• Situation of many older persons living in
  developing countries one of extreme poverty
• Traditional family support mechanisms eroding
• Declining family size, rural to urban migration,
  declining co-residence and in some countries
  younger family members dying of HIV/AIDS
• Poverty experience in childhood and adulthood
  likely to deepen with advancing age life cycle
  of poverty
• Main concerns of older poor inadequate living
  conditions, access to health care and social
  protection, inter-generational violence and abuse

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Ageing, Women and Poverty
Increasing Focus on Older Poor

• Large proportions of older persons in developed
  countries have attracted supportive concern but
  relatively little attention in developing
  countries
• Past policy focus with rapid population growth
  overshadowed population ageing
• Population ageing increasingly seen as major
  challenge in developing countries especially
  where
• Social safety nets do not exist, where there is
  limited institutional and human resource capacity
  to respond to basic needs of older persons

5
European and Japanese Populations Have Heavy
Concentration at Older Ages
Ageing, Women and Poverty
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Malaysias Population Getting Older
Ageing, Women and Poverty
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Share of Older Malaysians Increasing
Ageing, Women and Poverty
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Share of Older Persons Varies by State
Ageing, Women and Poverty
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Older Females Outnumber Males in All Ethnic
Groups, 2000
Ageing, Women and Poverty
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Older Malaysian, Especially Women, Lacking Formal
Education, 2000
Ageing, Women and Poverty
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Older Malaysians, Especially Women, Have Lower
Labour Force Participation Rates
Ageing, Women and Poverty
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Older Malaysian, if Working, Likely to be in
Agriculture
Ageing, Women and Poverty
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Ageing, Women and Poverty
Older people in Kelantan, Especially Women,
Lacking Formal Education, 2000
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Ageing, Women and Poverty
Older People in Kelantan more likely to be
Engaged in Agriculture
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Ageing, Women and Poverty
Conclusion

• Mainstream ageing issues into multi-sectoral
  development processes, with a particular focus on
  older poor
• Out of Malaysias 1.5 million older persons, 14
  per cent live in poverty, especially women
• Ensure appropriate social services and welfare
  coverage for poor and disadvantaged older
  persons, most commonly women
• Promote intergenerational solidarity with the
  goal of maintaining and improving social cohesion
  among generations
• Improve data and research on situation and needs
  of older persons in Malaysia